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They feel good about the improved morale they attributed to the policies of former chief James Craig.

But, some worry that continuity could take a hit if the new chief follows Craig's example and departs after less than two years on the job.

“We kind of don’t feel like having to restart this clock every couple of years,” said West Side activist Pete Witte. “We’d really like to see somebody get fully established and implement things that we can see all the way through.”

Witte is a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee that was formed by Craig. He is hoping Blackwell will continue it and get input from neighborhood advocates like himself.

"If he is going to take the police down some social engineering path, I don't know if that's what the community full wants," Witte said.

Blackwell’s history suggests he will.

His reputation is that of someone who works closely with communities, particularly those that feel left out and marginalized.

During his 26 years at the Columbus Police Department, Blackwell was known for his outreach to youth. He was heavily-invested in working with large immigrant sectors of the city like the Somali and Latino communities.

His commitment to those areas is part of what caught the attention of City Manager Milton Dohoney, who will officially swear-in the new chief at 10 a.m. Monday.

Blackwell takes the top position in the Cincinnati department at a time when a serious spike in street crime and gun violence has alarmed city leaders, as well as many residents.

At Sitwell's in Clifton, the notion of working directly to steer youth away from negative influences sits pretty well with owner Lisa Storie.

"Down in the West End, you have a little community center and it doesn't really have much to work with, but it is where all the kids go after school," Storie said.

Kevin Fitzgerald used to live in Columbus where Blackwell spent a quarter-century of his career.

"Two very different economic classes down in that neighborhood. So it would be nice to have our voices heard especially because it's a higher-crime neighborhood with a lot of dead-end streets," Fitzgerald said.

Witte said he appreciates the outreach style he has heard about and the mindset about working to steer juveniles away from crime and poor decisions.

However, there is some wariness in parts of the city about whether such an approach will improve safety in the short term and directly on the blocks where people live.

“I’ve heard this expressed,” Witte said. “If he’s going to take the police down some social engineering path, I don’t know if that’s what the community fully wants to be his main focus.”

At the same time, Witte said he thinks it’s important for police and community youth to have a good rapport and relationship.

As for making sure Blackwell stays for a longer time than his predecessor, Witte said there is no guarantee regardless of what is publicly said.

When he was introduced to local media more than a week ago, Blackwell committed to staying in Cincinnati for a minimum of five or six years.